The Frozen Sea by Piers Torday

Synopsis: ‘If you can imagine it, it exists … somewhere.’The second incredible instalment of a spellbinding fantasy adventure from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Last Wild trilogy.

‘If you can imagine it, it exists … somewhere.’The second incredible instalment of a spellbinding fantasy adventure from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Last Wild trilogy.

It is 1984 and forty years since Simon, Patricia and Evelyn and Larry first stepped through a magical library door into the enchanted world of Folio. When Patricia’s daughter, Jewel, makes a mysterious discovery in an old bookshop, she begins a quest that will make her question everything she thought she knew. Summoned to Folio, she must rescue a missing prince, helped only by her pet hamster and a malfunctioning robot.

Their mission to the Frozen Sea will bring them face-to-face with a danger both more deadly and more magnificent than they ever imagined.

What Jewel discovers will change not just who she thinks she is, but who we all think we are…

~*~

In 1984, Jewel is trying to escape from school bullies with her pet hamster, Fizz, when she takes refuge in an old bookshop with peeling letters on the door, that is seemingly abandoned. Yet whilst there, she is pulled into the world of Folio by Thumb, and those seeking the help of a Reader – Jewel – to help rescue her aunt Evie, who disappeared before Jewel was born. In this strange world, Jewel finds herself caught between different forces and factions who either want to help her or hinder her, and in doing so, she must journey across Folio, through the various lands of Reads and Unreads, myths and monsters, to the Frozen Sea in search of a lost prince and her aunt.

Yet as Baby Bear pursues them under claimed they and their Folio friends know to be false, Jewel is forced to confront things about herself and who she is that will influence her journey. And towards secrets that will change Jewel forever.

Picking up seamlessly forty years after The Lost Magician, Jewel’s journey is interspersed with government communications that leave little clues as to Evie’s fate, and where she disappeared and when. It doesn’t spell it out, rather, but leaves it open to interpretation for the reader, is fun, and brings the story to life even more.

Jewel’s journey is different to the Hastings siblings of The Lost Magician. Living in the eighties, she is in a world of movies and books, and technology, and straddles each world uniquely, finding ways to separate or incorporate them where she can and needs to. It is a story that continues on, yet is also its own, and pays homage to Narnia, and books in general – even going so far as to reference Narnia itself at times, as books the characters read and enjoy.

The world of Folio has changed – and perhaps not for the better, but maybe Jewel can set things right. A Reader can only visit once – but when they try to return, what are the consequences to their actions? How does Folio respond?

This series is delightful. Lately, there have been many books and series that involve books, reading and bookstores or libraries – celebrating reading on the page in a delightful way for audiences and readers. Books in themselves celebrate reading – yet seeing readers in key roles is delightful and magical and shows that reading has a power unto itself and shows just what is special about this world of books we inhabit. It is a world of dreams on paper and falling into books like The Frozen Sea is a magical experience and one I wonder if the author will continue. Whilst we have a satisfying ending, there is also potential for further stories, and either would be fine with me. An excellent book for readers aged ten and older.